Risk of skin cancer in patients with HIV: A Danish nationwide cohort study

Abstract

Background: The risk of skin cancer in patients with HIV has not been extensively studied.

Objective: We sought to determine the risk of skin cancer in patients with HIV and compare it with the risk in the background population.

Methods: In a matched, nationwide, population-based cohort study, we compared the risk of skin cancer in 4280 patients with HIV from the Danish HIV cohort study with a background population cohort, according to the level of immunosuppression and route of transmission. Primary outcomes were time to first basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), or malignant melanoma.

Results: Patients with HIV had an increased risk of BCC and SCC with incident rate ratios of 1.79 (95% confidence interval 1.43-2.22) and 5.40 (95% confidence interval 3.07-9.52), respectively, compared with the background population. We observed no increased risk of malignant melanoma. Low nadir CD4 cell count was associated with an increased risk of SCC. The increased risk of BCC among patients with HIV was restricted to men who had sex with men.

Limitations: This study was observational and included a small number of patients with melanoma.

Conclusion: Patients with HIV have an increased risk of BCC and SCC. Low nadir, but not current, CD4 cell count as a marker of immunosuppression was associated with an increased risk of SCC.

Keywords: HIV infection; basal cell carcinoma; cohort study; malignant melanoma; skin cancer; squamous cell carcinoma.